if wishes were kisses we'd all go sleepless
by authenticaussie
Summary: The Rangers' powers were helpful for a lot of things - fighting, solving mysteries, cleaning messy dorm rooms five minutes before inspection - and so none of them have ever complained about their abilities. Until their powers start going haywire, and suddenly Bridge's psychometry starts to reveal something that all of them have tried to keep hidden. [ot5 bridge/sky/z/jack/syd]


This is what he hears as he goes down; Jack swearing, Z yelling, Syd's gasp of fear, Sky calling his name, the whirring discharge of the monster's weapon.

The snap of his helmet hitting the ground. Sharp ringing in his ears, the crack of concrete, the monster's step.

"Get away from him."

(Echo. That makes it Z, or rather, two of Z, or maybe three because he can feel somebody checking him for injuries and Z always checks).

"You're monster paste!"

(Anger; the howling frustration of it from deep in her sweet pink soul. That's Syd, Syd with her anger issues kept under control except when _this _happens. Except when somebody hurts them.

He's definitely hurt, if she sounds like that.)

"A step closer and you won't take another step again_._"

(Jack. The cadence is Jack, but the words could be Sky's. Sky's just as protective as Syd, even though he doesn't show it as much as she does.

He opens his eyes and sees blue, sees sky and then Sky, sees yellow, sees purple, sees old-scab red and new-blood fury.)

"Bridge?" Sky says, worried, but he can't see Sky's mouth move under the colour. Well, he can't see Sky's mouth move because of that, but also because he's just rolled over with the singular thought of, _do not puke on Sky's ranger suit._

"No!" yells Syd, but when the beam hits him again and black swamps the colours in his vision, he can't feel anything but relief.

* * *

Bridge's favourite colour is probably green.

It's his Ranger colour, so that's usually what he says when he gets asked, but he likes it for more than just that. The green he likes is lighter than his suit, like mint leaves or forest-tinged sunlight or the glow behind his eyelids when he morphs.

It's the colour of Sky and Syd's auras when they're with him and happy.

(That's why it's his favourite, but he said that once and Kat watched him oddly for a week, so he figured that this was one of those things you weren't _supposed _to say, even if it were true.)

When they were in the Academy together it was a lot harder to get either of them to smile, and he knew that before they were a team, both of them had only smiled at him when he'd been distracted and gotten in trouble. That's changed now, because they like him more and because he put a lot of effort into figuring out what made them smile bar 'I belong here and him failing proves it.'

(He forgave them for that a long time ago; both of them put so much pressure on themselves that they'd forgotten how to be nice. Neither of them could figure out how to be proud of their achievements without having external proof or some outside authority telling them they'd done a good job, and he knew he was often distracted; it made him an easy target for their instructors, before Sky and Syd started getting protective instead of superior. Bridge didn't know what that was like, but they'd explained and apologised and gotten better, so it was easy to forgive them for thinking he was weak.)

At the Academy they become a team, and although his powers give him a cheat sheet to their emotions, by the end of training he rarely needs to use it. They're transparent; even when Sky looks grumpy, there'll always be a hint of a smile around his mouth when they're hanging out off duty, and Syd is open and honest with her affection. The only time he uses his powers is when he wants to see the gleam of Sky's aura give away his feelings, or when he's helping Syd work through her anger, watching the colour of her aura shift from burnt-crimson rage to soft happiness.

He likes being able to make them happy, and he likes that even being near him makes them happy. His powers let him see that in pure, vibrant colour, and he'll always love that. Even though he suspects they'd only been put together in the Academy because of their powers, they graduated knowing each other backward and upside down. (Bridge has put a lot of thought into them while upside down.)

Jack and Z...not so much.

They were all rough edges and anger issues, and both of them hid their emotions like saying something was tantamount to murder. He has no idea how Sky and Syd figure them out, because without his powers Bridge is pretty sure it'd be impossible. Jack laughs and grins and jokes even as anger burns bright red in the middle of his aura, and when Bridge wakes in their dorm, in the morning, he can feel the press of Jack's uncertainty like someone putting their hand on his arm. And Z?

Z keeps her emotions locked up tighter than Sky's, if such a thing is possible. If he didn't use his powers it would be impossible to figure out what she was thinking.

Then Z melts faster than he expects her to, paranoid but aching for something _bigger, _something she can belong to, and even though they're tight-knit they all remember how that felt. She falls into place almost accidentally, and even though it takes time, she starts to seek out their companionship and Bridge watches her aura turn as green as Syd and Sky. Compared to the off-yellow and grey that she used to display, Bridge finds himself pretty pleased. It's nice that the three of them can make her happy, and when Jack finally agrees to join them, her colour solidifies into something as strong as the morphing grid.

(He says 'finally' because Jack was harder to...happi-fy. Which isn't a word, he knows, but it's close enough to what he means. Happi-fy, like what happened with Sky and Syd and Z - coaxing them to smile and relax and calm down, coaxing them to enjoy his company instead of sulk in frustration or denial. Jack was resistant to being leader and then resistant to the responsibility of it, but Bridge is good being patient - and Sky's good at starting hard-hitting, painful arguments. He figures out how to balance everything eventually, taking it at his own pace, and eventually Bridge sees tendrils of green sneak through Jack's feelings. Pride and happiness and a sunny yellow that matches Z now that both of them figure out that their team is-

Well, _them. _

The five of them against the world (or, the world's underbelly, at least), and that, at least, is something Jack is used to. Against the world and proud of it, but Sky and Z and Syd and him, they're not part of "the world" anymore in Jack's eyes. It's nice, and special in the same way green became.

When all they're all together and Bridge's gloves are off, he gets blinded by green, sinking into the sight like he's drifting in an ocean. It happens more and more often, too, as things get more dangerous. Closer calls get closer, longer hugs, and he and Syd are long since used to forcing Sky to rest; having two extra people just makes it that much harder for Sky to escape. They start to squish together onto one couch, even though it means somebody gets sat on, and Bridge often ends up with Syd's feet in his lap or Jack's arm over his shoulders.

It's _nice, _and special, and even better than green.

But then it changes.

And they change.

Sky growls and snaps and snarls when they try and convince him to rest, no matter who's doing it, and heaven help the person who tries to set a hand on him to convince him that he needs body heat instead of air-conditioning. Jack's quips get harsh again, oscillating between awkward and cruel, and he stumbles through what he's doing and how to talk to them. Z doesn't curl up next to him when she's reading anymore, and worms out of Syd's hugs. The only person she'll stay remotely close to is Jack, and even then she's so careful about where she sits that by the time she gets comfortable, Jack has to go. Syd's the only one who's sort-of-normal, and even then Bridge has seen her _demolish _the training bots recently, but she won't talk to him about it. It's like everyone is closing off and he's- not sure what happened, or why, but...

He just wishes they'd go back to normal.

* * *

Bridge wakes up in the med-bay, which sucks. The med-bay always smells like sweaty uniforms and antiseptic, and his head is pounding. Pressure pushes against his skin like his old weighted blanket (he should dig it out of storage - now that Syd and Z are avoiding him, naps have been far more difficult)-

"Bridge?"

A hand settles on his shoulder, solid and cool, and his skin picks up the callous of Kat's paws, the prick of her nails.

_I hope he's okay. That blast looked awful. Sky's shields couldn't even stop it. _

Bright panic slams into his body, and he hears Kat give a sharp inhale, her hand flying away from him. "Sky got hurt?" he croaks, even though the urgency running through him demands that he yell, and he forces his eyes open to look around the med-bay. Pain lances through his skull as colour hits him; putrid yellow and off-purple give life to Kat's fear and worry. He groans, low in his throat. "Kat, where are my gloves?"

"Bridge-" she says, her hand resting on his shoulder again, and this time he can't stop his shudder. He can feel the colours and if he had the strength he'd push her off him.

_"Gloves," _he pleads, and he knows his eyes are closed but he can sense the emotions that make up her frown; confusion, frustration, fear.

_What's wrong with him? Nerve damage? If he can't feel that he's wearing his gloves...Maybe that blast did more damage then the scan showed me._

Bridge flexes his hands, feeling leather give against his palm, and his heart jumps into his throat. Gloves on, but he can still see Kat's aura. Gloves on, but colour is still pressing against his eyes. Gloves on, but- but he's out of control.

He swallows hard, and files it in the back of his mind. There's more important things to worry about now. "Is Sky okay?" he asks, and Kat makes a soft, soothing noise, at odds with how she feels.

"You're the only one in the med-bay right now, Bridge," she says, but her words are so carefully chosen and her emotions so balanced that he frowns. With how he's acting, of course she'd try and keep the truth from him, but he hates that she thought he'd rest after having told him Sky's shields hadn't blocked that battering ram of an attack.

"Kat," he says, and forces himself to open his eyes and look at her, even though the colour of her aura makes her look indistinct. "Please tell me the truth? You just said that Sky's shields couldn't stop what'd hit me, and I feel like-" he grins at her, "like a Turian ran me over."

He can't see her frown through the haze of colour, but he can feel her aura shift to match. "You know how strong Sky's shields are," Kat says, and Bridge almost feels like growling. He doesn't get angry often, but this sideways truth-telling is making him frustrated, and the headache pounding a rhythm in his temples doesn't help. He knows it's only worry making his temper short, but he _has _to know if Sky is okay.

Sky is a jerk, and bossy, and he snaps so often that at this point it's more funny than scary and that's the whole gist of it; Sky isn't scary anymore, because Bridge knows him. Because they're friends, because Sky looks out for all of them, because Sky is the first to take responsibility and the first to debate with him when he's bored, and Bridge cares about him so much that it feels like-

_Warm, _he thinks, the way he classifies all emotions the team makes him feel, the way he classifies the gentle lull of happiness that seeps under his skin when they're close, and he knows he doesn't say anything but it's like-

It's like Kat answers.

The flash of images in Bridge's head goes by so fast that he only catches snippets of their commander gently, reverently tucked Kat's hair behind her ear, the cold touch of Kruger's nose against Kat's own, the way the sun frames him gold and black as he stands in front of Kat to protect her, and he's utterly unprepared for the weight with which her mind says Kruger's name.

He's never felt this aspect of his powers before. He's never pulled someone's emotions out of them, never made a path with his own that coaxes someone else's down the same road, but something hits him hard. Probably the way he phrased _with his own, _because- because Kat thought of Kruger with the same weight that Bridge say his teammates' names, the same fond-happy-exasperated- _you-stupid-perfect-dumbass _mix of feelings attached to every memory.

"Um-," he says, out of words, and Kat's eyes go very very wide. He can see the glint of them even through the blue-green-pink her aura has turned. "I. Have just realised something important," he says, and pushes himself up from the bed even though it makes his head swim. "So tell me if Sky is okay, or I'll get up and look for him."

He knows she's uncomfortable; he can see her teeth glint as she almost-snarls, but before she can speak there's a sharp heel tap and Jack says, "Nah, no way, Bridge."

He'd missed the hydraulic hiss of the door sliding open, but there's no way he'd miss Jack's leader-tone. His arms are folded over his chest and even though there's a bandage on his cheek he's still frowning sternly. "You threw up and passed out when we finished arresting that criminal. And since I haven't gotten a medical report from Kat that clears you for duty, you're not going anywhere."

Jack strides over to Kat's side, long steps that latch onto Bridge's dizzy brain like a countdown. He stops at the end of the bed, just far enough that Bridge can still see Jack's face behind the aura that coats him in worry.

"Well, Kat?" Jack asks, his eyes on their doctor but his hand hovering over Bridge's fingertips are just barely tinged green, but he pulls his hand back before letting his touch settle.

Kat looks between them both, her feelings dragged closer as she fights to get herself under control, and then she steps away and to the med bay's main computer. "Computer scans show no signs of concussion or internal injuries," she says, and then Bridge can see her feelings shift to the same colours they'd had when she was telling him her half-truths. "I think, maybe, he has the same...issue as Sky and Syd."

Jack scoffs, his lips curled into a savage grin. "And me."

"Jack."

It's amazing how saying his name always gets his attention; Bridge is pretty sure that he could whisper it in a crowd and Jack would hear. As it is, he's now under Jack's laser-eyed focus, and for the first time since he woke up he's a little glad that he doesn't need his gloves off to see auras. Jack's look, without the worry turning his aura purple and yellow, would usually have Bridge just giving a thumb's up and submitting to Kat's tests.

But-

"Kat said Sky's shields didn't hold. Is he okay?"

"Nobody else got hurt," Jack says, and he reaches out again, then curls his hand into a fist. His aura flares bright with frustration, and a wave of longing hits Bridge in the chest.

Is it his? Is it Jack's? There's no way to know, and the feeling sends his stomach into a riot.

"What's the issue, then? Both of you keep not telling me, and I can definitely tell you're not telling me. Neither of you are very good at lying." He waves his fingers at Jack. "Plus, psychometry. Can't lie to the guy with the magic hand-eye combo."

Usually that'd get a laugh out of Jack; if he were lucky, Jack would punch his shoulder and then pull him in and press his forehead against Bridge's cheek like that would stop Bridge from being able to sense his happiness.

Now it just nets him a wry, tired smile. Then, Jack puts his hand down, dropping straight through Bridge's shin without leaving any tingle of sensation.

Bridge doesn't need much of an explanation after that.

"Our powers are out of control," he says, before Jack can keep talking, and Jack nods.

"Boosted," Kat corrects from the corner near her computers. "Sky's got a shield around him that won't dissipate, and Syd is absorbing any material she touches, regardless of structural integrity. Both were confined to simulation rooms."

"It's getting better," Jack says, his eyes on Bridge's face, and Bridge makes himself stop frowning because Jack's aura feels like pain. "Sky's shields are barely stable now, and they shrink at a- uh-"

"Consistent?" he offers, and Jack nods.

"You were hit worst. Everyone else just needs to burn it out."

Burn it out almost makes Bridge laugh. He definitely feels like he's burning now, with fire behind his eyes filling every blink with aura, and he has no idea how he'll stand being in the room with Sky and Syd and Z as well as Jack, but he wants to see them. He trusts Jack with his life (with his heart, which is a new discovery and kinda scarier than trusting Jack with his life, but oh well; he's sure he'll get used to it) but there's nothing like proper proof to keep his brain from turning over fake, terrifying versions of his teammates' injuries.

"How's Syd handling not having post-mission cuddles?" he asks, letting his mouth lift into a grin, and Jack grins back, his aura settling into a better colour.

"I don't think I've ever heard her complain more. And Sky's face, man, we need a pic. He's totally mad about no post-battle cuddles, but if you bring it up he starts yelling that he needs to do paperwork. As _if _he ever thinks paperwork when Syd wants to do her 'hey you're all alive' nap pile. I've never seen anything so crabby, and Z and I used to live by a beach. "

The pun makes Bridge laugh, makes Jack's aura creep closer to green, and Jack turns. "Kat, permission to liberate him from the sick bay?"

She looks at Bridge, and he breaks out his least-used, most effective weapon; puppy dog eyes. (Maybe they're effective because they're puppy dog eyes and Kruger is- actually, he's decided he doesn't want to go there.)

Kat sighs. "I'll get you a wheelchair."

* * *

Jack can only push him every few corridors or so, because even though his feet aren't intangible, Bridge would rather he didn't kick the wheelchair to keep them moving. It's slow going until RIC comes to help, distracting the other cadets roaming the halls with cute robot tricks and leaving most auras green instead of messy, complicated colour swirls. Jack's talking as he strolls by Bridge's side, his hands in his pockets and his eyes on the roof, but Bridge has so many thoughts in his brain that he's glad Jack is the one with him. Unlike Sky, Jack just likes to talk; Sky thinks that most of the time it's unnecessary, but Bridge doesn't like being silent when other people are around unless he's meditating.

(And even then if an interesting thought occurs he likes to verbalise it. That's always better when he has an audience, even if meditation is classically a single-person activity.)

So Jack talking is good. It leaves Bridge to put Kat's thoughts into a file marked _for later _and gives him time to have a stare down with the folder marked _warm. _95% of it is the team. 100% of his thoughts about the team have the same sensation to them as Kat's thoughts about Kruger. He kind of really _really _wants to do a handstand right now, but he thinks that even with Kat clearing him of concussion-risk, the team won't be too pleased about his habit.

_The team _sinks into his brain, the flash of Z's smile, of Syd's grin, of Jack's smirk, of Sky's eye-roll, the different ways they'd cajole, distract - in Syd's case, pick him up - to stop him from doing something they deemed 'detrimental to his health'.

"B-squad Red Ranger requesting entry."

He wants them nearby so badly that it takes him a moment to realise that Jack's aura looks the same way he feels. He blinks, and frowns, and thinks about opening his mouth, but then Z's in front of him, her hands taking his as she kneels in front of him.

"I'm so glad you're okay," she says, grinning at him in relief, and the feeling hits him like a freight train. He's drowning in green and blue and _Z reaching over to kiss him over the forehead and-_

He pulls his hands back with a sharp gasp, eyes blinking rapidly to clear the colour splotches from his vision. "Glad- to- you too. Wait. I mean, glad to be okay, Z."

"Wanna see the only good thing about the power mess-up?" Z asks him, almost laughing, and her aura is pink and green and the colours shouldn't look nice together but then again neither should Z's gap-tooth, ragged smile, but he decides that, just like he likes her smile, he likes this colour combination too.

"Bridge?" says Jack, and he feels the ghost of Jack's fingertips on his shoulders and then a flush of frustration.

"It's okay." Bridge lets his hand go over Jack's, even though he knows Jack can't feel the touch. "Like you said. This'll wear off soon, and then you can touch whatever you want."

_Youyouyouyouyou, _and Jack's aura is bright like burning, pink like Z's, the feeling of it making Bridge flush.

"Syd's as soft as her teddy bears!" caws Z from a pile of blankets next to Sky's faltering shields, and he jumps. Tearing his eyes away from Jack he rolls over to the pile, met with the sight of Syd absolutely buried in every soft pillow and blanket they'd collected for their dorm. She's also pink and fuzzy, and Bridge can't help but grin at her.

"It sucks," Syd says, her voice congested with fluff.

"Arguably this makes you invaluable for post-battle cuddle naps. Also, theoretically, if you're mimicking the matter from around you, in a cuddle pile you'd copy the skin structure of your partners."

Syd's eyes get a glint. "Get down here!" she says, and sweeps her leg out at Z.

The thump of her leg hitting Z's side sounds exactly like a weakly thrown pillow. Z doesn't even stumble, and grins down at Syd. Then, her eyes flicking to the sky, she clutches her shin and goes, "Ohhh, nooooo...I'm going down...Injured by the one girl on this team, the one person who was supposed to have my back-"

"Hey!" goes Jack, and Bridge laughs at the betrayal in his tone.

"If you were standing closer, you could've been the one to make the joke," Bridge says with a grin, and then he braces himself against the wheelchair arms and carefully slides out of the seat. Jack steps in to try and help, but his hands are still barely solid against Bridge's back. The floor's cold against his knees, but then Z's warm hands are against his shoulders and she's dragging him into the middle of the pile. With sneaky, subtle gestures, she lets her hands skim his arms as she pushes him towards Syd, and he closes his eyes against the soft off-purple of her concern. He may've wanted to see them to make double-sure that no-one had been injured, but Z'd obviously been waiting for the same chance.

"Jack?" Syd asks, and their fearless leader holds up both his hands, still partially transparent.

"No can-do, Syd. Still have a bit to wear off."

Sky scoffs from inside his bubble, the sound diluted. "A bit is better than whatever _I _have left to get rid of."

"Yeah, the rest of your body's fine," says Z, and she reaches out her hand.

Jack's never been able to say no to that; doubly so if Z's the one asking. Bridge watches through his eyelashes as Jack swallows, his aura pink and green and sweet-fruit nervous, the colours mixing with Z and Syd's as he kneels down and curls up by Syd's thighs, resting his head in her lap. "You really are as comfy as the pillows," he snickers, and Syd flicks his forehead, making him laugh. The off-yellow of his nerves settles, and Bridge watches green and pink seep further into his aura, till it almost blends with Z.

_Where's Syd? _he wonders, suddenly realising that he hasn't seen her colours, and then, sleepily, he hears,

_Here, duh. You're basically laying on me._

Little shivers run across his back, and Bridge suddenly realises the drawback of a cuddle pile; Kat's skin-to-skin contact had given him her thoughts, and he'd given her_ his_ thoughts. He'd obviously been hit way harder than everyone else, and-

"Hush the thinking," Jack says gently, his hand falling onto Bridge's ankle, and it's almost solid now, a feather-light weight against his leg.

His gloves aren't off, but he can still see the green of their happiness softly surrounding him. His colour, the way he makes them feel, and Sky like a sour spot against his side, like electricity and pain and longing.

"Sky?" he calls, and feels the desire pull back, Sky dragging it inside himself to lock it up inside, because

_he can't touch and he shouldn't want to touch but it isn't fair _and there's the phantom sensation of Syd's fingers through his hair, down his forehead and the bridge of his nose, there's Jack like a line of heat against his side of Z sitting in his lap during movie nights, her waist so fragile under his fingers, and _Bridge with his forehead pressed against Sky's collarbone, snoring, his weight almost lulling Sky to sleep, too, and Syd's almost-mandatory post-battle cuddles, the way he craves them though he knows he shouldn't, there's paperwork and training to do and he can't let these feelings beat him-_

"Oh," says Syd. "Sky, they're not beating you. No- no more than they beat me."

She's still largely fuzzy, but Bridge swears he can feel the embarrassed heat coming off her. He can definitely see that her aura is more flustered red than green at the moment, and then there's

_get out, a growl, the thwack of her knuckles against the punching bag, the clang of steel fists against the simulation robots, Bridge in the corner of her vision with his face all sad in worry. Her stomach gets tight because he helps her with all her problems, only this time- he's the problem. Him and Sky and Z and Jack- she pulls her fist back and slams it into the robot hard, breaking a hole right through it that leaves sparking wires of electricity loose and Boomer yelling in horrified, protective anguish. _

Sky's shield falters, then dies entirely. He's left standing in the middle of the room with his arms outstretched, his eyes glassy and his cheeks angry, embarrassed red.

"Come here," says Z, soft, soft like

_sinking into Jack's hands on her back, the easy, gentle way he found knots and worked them free because he knew she got headaches if her shoulders got to tight, Syd letting Z's hair run through her fingers like water, making loose braids for sleep, staying curled in close, her breath warm against Z's nose and the night still and quiet around them, Bridge brushing her hair with all the care he reserved for taking care of his plants, _ _Sky standing up for her, not because she needed protecting but because he couldn't stand the thought of her being hurt, like Z was a princess and he was a knight, like she was a dragon and he came offering up his shield like treasure because he thought it was the only worthy thing about him._

"Stop," Bridge pleads, his palms pressed to his temples, but the words echo. He forces his eyes open to see Sky's fists clenched by his side.

"Stop," Sky says, in a tone barely stronger than Bridge's choked whisper. "We have a mission. We have our _duty-_"

_can't touch, shouldn't want to touch_

_Come here, _he whispers, holding out his thoughts like Z had held out her hand to Jack, and Sky's just as weak to the gesture. He takes a faltering step forward, then half-shakes his head.

Bridge lets his amusement tinge the air around them. "Jack can make it a captain's order," he says, and Jack's flush gives away more than the mingling memories of Jack tryingtryingtrying to touch, the way he'd kept trying to make things work better but couldn't stop putting his foot in his mouth.

Jack punches his shoulder, and Bridge yelps, unable to stop his laughter.

"Your touch is back!" Syd cries in delight, and Z immediately sprawls out over Syd to get to Jack's lap.

"Come on, magic man. Stop being a jerk and fix my shoulders - I can _feel _the stress knots developing as we wait for Sky to get over himself."

"G-get over myself-?!" Sky says, aghast in the way that always makes Syd grin, and she tips her head back to look at him. Freckles have started to dot her cheeks, but her skin is still a patchwork of different textures.

"You know she's got a point, Sky."

"She does not!" he yells, and Bridge

_this could work, the way it's already been working. Post-battle cuddles turning into naps, making sure you don't push yourself too hard, keeping Jack from getting a big head, making sure Syd doesn't break all the training bots-_

_-hey!-_

_-we already know how all this works. Aren't we already a team? What'd be wrong with-_

It's the first time he's had the thought, but half-a-second later, reality decides to match it. Sky falls, crossing the room faster than Bridge's tired brain can track, and then Sky's on his knees at the edge of the blanket pile, fists white around a quilt, his jaw set and his eyes burning.

"You getting hit by that alien _sucked,_" Sky hisses, and it's

_fear and worry and fear, _and now they know how much, how _badly,_ he wants

_wantwantwantwantwant_

There's a thought in Bridge's head like _may I_? but Syd plucks the question out of his head and grabs Jack's collar and Z's hand, and Sky's always been on Syd's wave length; he leans in just as she does, and a circuit sparks between them. Sky kisses hard, and so does Z. Jack's so startled, his heart all filled up with longing, that it takes him a second to figure out what's going on, his mouth soft when he finally gets the gist. Syd lets her hands do the talking, running her thumbs lightly across cheekbones and jawline and savouring how to touch.

Weirdly, he now knows how he kisses, too.

There are worse things to know, he thinks, Jack's arm around his shoulders, Z grinning by his side, Syd grabbing his hand to lace their fingers together, and Sky's stern look fading into a smile. There are worse things to know, and this dumb secret they'd been carrying around?

Well, he's still got a headache and he thinks his foot may be falling asleep, but having them know this didn't turn out that bad. He'd even venture to say that it turned out pretty-darn-_well,_ he thinks, letting them catch a glimpse of the swimming mix of their auras as he makes the pun, and he hears Sky and Z groan.

He grins, and closes his eyes to an ocean of green.

* * *

**A/N: a fic for the toku poly fic exchange 2019! My partner was bomper and good lordie I was Living for the prompts they gave ;3**

**anyway as always I love reviews! they're the best. Annnnd you can check out my writing blog if u wanna see my other drabbles or shoot me a req/message/question**

** /thumbs up**


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